IMAM, BASEBALL AND APPLE PIE

Arabic mandatory at NYC public school

'It means they can spin the globe and decide where they want to work and live'

Published: 05/24/2012 at 10:48 AM

(N.Y. POST) An upper Manhattan public elementary school will be the first in the city to require that students study Arabic, officials said yesterday.

Beginning next semester, all 200 second- through fifth-graders at PS 368 in Hamilton Heights will be taught the language twice a week for 45 minutes — putting it on equal footing with science and music courses.

One reason Principal Nicky Kram Rosen selected Arabic — as opposed to more common offerings, such as Spanish or French — is because it will help the school obtain a prestigious International Baccalaureate standing.